There are no rules when it comes to blogging. Some blogs exist to keep friends and family up to date on family happenings, some are to document weight loss, some blogs are specific to product reviews, some blogs document outfits worn each and every day, and some blogs are devoted to saving the world from “unnecessary” quotation marks. Anyone can have a blog! One very trendy way to keep your blog fresh is to participate in themes of the day. Here’s some popular recurring blog entries you can participate in to keep your blog fun to read and also network with other people on the internet! So, the next time you have writer’s block on your blog, try joining one of these hosted blog events! You may even make a friend or two along the way!
SUNDAY
Grains of Gratitude. Brady’s Bunch hosts Grains of Gratitude every Sunday and invites participants to blog about what they are thankful for. I think this is a great opportunity for people to focus on what they are grateful for and Sunday could not be a more perfect day for that reflection!
MONDAY
Magic Marker Monday! Hosted by 5 Minutes for Special Needs, every Monday participates post a picture of their child’s artwork for the week. This includes pictures of artwork made at school, at home, on the walls of your living room, or anywhere else your child has expressed his or her artistic side. They ask that you leave them a comment to let them know you participated in this event! 
TUESDAY
Tackle It Tuesday! This event is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom and invites participants to pick a household project needing to be done. They can be big or small. The idea is to take a before and after picture of you project. I have watched a friend of mine participate in this blog event and it’s been really good at keeping her motivated and productive! I’m impressed with her Tuesday productivity!
WEDNESDAY
Wordless Wednesday This has got to be the most popular blog theme event in the blogging community. It’s everywhere! On Wednesdays, bloggers are invited to post a picture without any words. I have seen some creative blog entries on W.W. You can be as creative or as simple as you like on W.W. and you can be confident that many a blogger is participating in this event, so you will not be alone!- Other Wednesday events include, Weightloss Wednesday. On Weightloss Wednesdays, bloggers blog about their weightloss journey and usually include their weight and measurements. Apparently, blogging your weight is the best kept weightloss secret around!! There’s something about telling the world how much you weigh that motivates you to lose that weight! A friend of mine lost 26.5 lbs while sharing her weightloss journey with all of her blog readers! It was quite impressive to follow.
What fun blog themes have you enjoyed participating in? What are some Thursday, Friday, and Saturday blog themes you’ve seen?
My husband and I are discussing where we want to go on our second Babymoon. A babymoon is simply a little vacation that you take with your spouse to enjoy your time together before the baby arrives. I remember hearing about the idea of a vacation to enjoy your time together before your world is turned upside down and I thought it was a fabulous idea. We love to travel, so this seemed like the perfect excuse to take a vacation.
Our plans for our first babymoon started grand with a week in Paris. Then the trip got downgraded to a weekend in New York City, then we decided to drive to Austin for a weekend, then we came to our final decision to just drive north into the Texas hill country and see where we landed. The weekend turned out wonderfully spontaneous in our Mustang convertible. Little did I know that that would be one of the last times we could go for a ride with the top down. Driving with my windows down on the Camry just isn’t quite the same.
We found a hotel and mentioned that we were on a babymoon. Then the front desk clerk gave us a deal on the room. The next day we found a hole in the wall BBQ place playing John Wayne movies. As we walked around Inks Lake I saw an old couple in blue jeans canoeing. I thought that if they could do it, then I could canoe eight months pregnant. Rowing around the lake was the highlight of my entire weekend.
We took our trip about two months before I was due. I actually felt infinitely better towards the end of my pregnancy, than in the beginning. My friend took her babymoon towards the beginning of her pregnancy before she got uncomfortably huge. I don’t think it matters when you take your babymoon, just as long you do one.
Taking the time to be together and not worry about commitments or the future was invigorating. We appreciated the peace of the trip before we got back to painting the nursery, birth planning, and sleepless nights. Of course I miss the spontaneity of being a DINK, but I really feel like we celebrated the end of our childless phase with our babymoon. I am glad we took the opportunity to take a small trip with just the two of us. Now we will be taking our second babymoon, before we become a family with two children under the age of two (at least for two months)! I want to appreciate the quiet of only one child, before my life becomes even more full of the joys of parenting.
How about you did you do anything special before the baby came?
Congratulations! Over sixty of you bought a whole lot of raffle tickets and I’m so happy that we were able to help the Balsis family in this way!! They are now home from their first trip to Russia and have met a little girl who has Down syndrome and will be bringing her home very soon. Addison Veronika is the cutest thing ever! She is going to be two years old next month. While our raffle is closed, they still have a lot of expenses coming their way with another trip to Russia and the costs of finalizing their adoption. If you would like to follow the Balsis family and/or financially support their adoption, you can do so by visiting their adoption blog: Dreaming on an Angel.
Before I announce the lucky ducky winners of our fantastic prizes, I want to send a big THANK YOU to the sponsors and co-hosts of this raffle! I am blown away by the generosity of others and grateful for your support for this special family’s adoption journey. Thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts!
Now onto the big announcement! All winners have been notified by email as well. Congratulations!!
- Shay K.- Serena and Lily Rory Crib Set
- Amelia S. - Dear Johnnies Robe and Gown Set
- Vanessa B. – UPPAbaby G-Lite Stroller
- Judith D. – UPPAbaby G-Lite Stroller
- Amy A. – Born to Love Pink Argyle Visor Beanie
- Shylo U. – Bella Tunno Circus Spots Chalk Placemat
- Claudine E. – JessiJeanJewelry Blue Swirl Glass Pendent
- Julie O. – Ellie Bellie Kids Lavender/Lime Tutu
- Kim D. – SlickSugar Guitar Tee
- Williams Violet – Cuddlebee Brown Dot Bib and Burp set
- Robert B. – JP Lizzy Sprout Tote
- Cheri P. – BabyRock Apparel Sorry Boys tee
- Brian R. – Baby K’tan Camo Baby Carrier
- Michael G. – Made By Angie Primary Dots Wipes Case
- Kristie B. – Itzy Ritzy Bitzy Blanket in Black Damask andBlack Minky Dot
- Shylo U. – Paperluxe Studio Set of 24 Notecards
- Aimee B. – BabyRock Apparel Heart and Crossbones Shoes
- Breanna P. – Born To Love Tan Visor Beanie
- Sherry F. – Baby Rock Apparel Sweetheart Onesie
- Jessica S. – Wet happened? Carnival Bloom Wetbag
- Natalia D. - Baby Rock Apparel Preschool Tee
- Amy A. – Clairebella Candy Stripe Blue Moses Basket
- Jenna P. – Mia Moda Ciello Stroller
- Brigitte V. – Bella Tunno Sweet Tooth Play Smock
- Debbie B. – Born To Love Pink Visor Beanie
- Sherry H. – Cuddlebee Fun Dot Bib and Burp Set
- Naomi S. – Baby Rock Apparel Angelic Onesie
- Kara S. – Ellie Bellie Kids Mocha Messenger Bag
- Carmen M. – Little Showoffs Myself Tee
- Colleen B. – Little Showoffs Rock Star Newborn Onesie
- Craig G. – Ribbies Hair Clippies
- Jodi R. – Sarabear Havana Diaper Caddy
- Sherry F. – Mairzey Dotes Dotty Bird Bib and Burp Set
- Jennifer S. – Pink Axel Peace Beanie
- Jeanette W. – Pink Axel Peace Beanie
- Kari B. – Georgie Tees Let’s Get Smashed Onesie
The raffle benefiting Bethany’s adoption ends tomorrow! Tickets are $5 and there are A LOT of cool prizes worth well over five bucks. Click here to enter the raffle!
Also, if you are in San Antonio tomorrow is the Buddy Walk out at Fort Sam. It is free to walk this year. It starts bright and early at 7:00 a.m. The walk is at 9:00 a.m. Come out and support Down syndrome!
The lovely Mommy Zabs over at Does Mommy Love It? nominated The Mom Crowd for Best Parenting site at Divine Caroline. You have to register to vote, but it should only take a minute. The rest of the site looks pretty cool and they are a lot of great nominees in the parenting category. So go vote for all your favorites! 
